The present invention relates generally to the field of archery, and more particularly to arrow stabilizers and rests for supporting an arrow in an archery bow. A simplified and improved apparatus is provided for improving the accuracy and safety of an archery bow.
Arrows are typically supported within an archery bow by a generally horizontal plate located above a handgrip area of the bow. The rest plate or member is typically integrally formed as part of the bow apparatus. Although the support plate provided as part of most archery bows does support the arrow in a generally horizontal position relative to the ground, such plates do not prevent the shaft of the arrow either from sliding laterally off the plate or from shifting from the generally horizontal position to an angled position when the arrow is nocked, drawn or released. Either type of movement will compromise the safety and accuracy of the bow.
Arrow rests for archery bows typically perform a number of functions. In addition to providing support for the arrow when it is nocked and drawn, the rest also guides the arrow as it is released from the bow, and may provide a degree of compensation for arrow flex or distortion, which occurs as the energy from the drawn bow is transferred to the arrow. Ideally, an arrow rest should absorb little or no energy from the arrow as it is released. Any energy absorbed by the rest is a loss of energy that could be transferred to the arrow, reducing both the range and accuracy with the arrow may be shot.
Arrow distortion occurs when an arrow deflects from its rest (i.e., unloaded) shape as it absorbs energy from the bow following its release by the archer. Two types of distortion are known. Inherent distortion is a consequence of how the bow and/or the arrow are manufactured. Applied distortion, on the other hand, is created intentionally by mounting the arrow rest slightly off the optimum line of force for the bow, or by mounting the bowstring nock point above or below the optimum line of force. Applied distortion has been used to ensure that the arrow will clear the rest upon release from the bow. Distortion may occur in either the horizontal or vertical planes, or a combination of the two. Whether created inadvertently or intentionally, however, and regardless of the plane(s) in which it acts, arrow distortion in undesirable because it results in a loss of energy transferred from the bow to the arrow, with corresponding reduction in accuracy and distance for the archer.
Inconsistencies inherent in aiming and releasing an arrow from an archery bow make the amount of energy lost to a typical arrow rest highly unpredictable. A number of variables affecting energy loss may differ slightly from one arrow release to another. The angle of the arrow in both the vertical and horizontal planes may be different. The archer may draw the bow a few millimeters or centimeters more or less than the prior or subsequent shot. There may be slight differences in when the archer releases the bowstring with the upper and lower fingers relative to one another. Moreover, during a single archery session, the mechanical movement of the bow itself may lead to changes in bowstring tension and other mechanical properties of the bow. The foregoing factors all influence how much energy is lost by an arrow as it contacts the rest during release.
Because of the unpredictable nature of energy losses to an arrow rest, it is desirable that the arrow rest provide a minimum of contact with the arrow during shooting.
The present invention provides an archery rest with a simple, non-bulky, light-weight design that reduces or eliminates distortion. Further, the design provides improved safety both in the field and on the shooting range.
A number of archery rests are known in the art. A first type of archery rest includes a diaphragm member or brushes for closely supporting an arrow shaft around substantially its entire periphery. U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,153 includes a tubular member having a diaphragm at the tube end nearest the bowstring. The diaphragm closely engages the shaft of an arrow and includes three slots to enable the vanes of the arrow to pass through the diaphragm. A bracket connects the tubular member to the riser of an archery bow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,849 includes a ring member having a plurality of radially disposed bristles, which engage the shaft of an arrow along substantially its entire periphery. The lower portion of the ring member is supported within a clamp member, and a bracket member connects the ring/clamp assembly to the riser of a bow.
Rests of the foregoing type are undesirable because of the relatively high level of contact between the support diaphragm or brushes and the shaft and vanes of the arrow during its release from the bow. Such contact results in significant loss of energy transmitted to the arrow. Further, arrow distortion and release inconsistencies by the archer make the amount of energy lost to the rest as a result of the contact highly unpredictable, with a corresponding reduction in accuracy to the archer. Moreover, such rests provide essentially no correction of distortion because no biasing force is provided to the shaft of the arrow.
Other rests include a tubular member for enclosing or partially enclosing the shaft of an arrow. Some tubular rests include one or more biasing members for reducing distortion. Biasing members contact the arrow and provide a biasing force acting generally normal to the shaft of the arrow to return it to its unloaded, rest state. U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,450 to Jacobson discloses a tubular arrow rest having three resilient fingers attached for contacting the arrow. The fingers are mounted on the end of the tube nearest the bowstring, and they are angled in the direction of arrow travel. Adjustable finger springs may be provided to increase or decrease the force applied to the arrow by the fingers. A bracket connects the assembly to the riser of an archery bow, and a threaded rod connects the tubular member to the bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,633 to Sisko discloses a partially tubular arrow rest in which a slot is provided running the length of the bore. The slot allows an arrow to be inserted into the rest from the side rather than the ends of the tubular member. Three spring-loaded biasing members are provided for contacting the arrow and correcting distortion. The biasing members are mounted in a single plane generally normal to the bore of the tube. The springs of the biasing members may be changed to alter the biasing force applied to an arrow; however, a top biasing member extending generally downward from the top of the tube preferably has a smaller applied force than two bottom biasing members. A pair of adjustable, L-shaped brackets is provided to connect the partially tubular member to the riser of an archery bow.
Tubular rests such as those disclosed in the Jacobson and Sisko patent serve to protect the hand and arm of the archer from inadvertent contact with the arrow. Tubular rests create a relatively high risk of inadvertent contact of the arrow with the tube because of the increased tube length through which the arrow must pass either before or after contacting the biasing members, depending upon their location along the length of the tube. Contact of the arrow with the tube reduces the accuracy of the arrow, and in cases of severe distortion may actually increase the risk of injury to the archer. The reduction in accuracy and increased risk of injury are greater in the case of highly distorted arrows. Moreover, the risk of contact between the arrow and the tube increases with increasing tube length. For relatively long tubular rests, even a small departure from a precisely coaxial alignment of the arrow with the bore of the tube may result in contact between the arrow and the tube, especially where distortion is present.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable arrow rest that is simple in design and easy to use, yet provides improved safety and accuracy.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an arrow rest that is lightweight and non-bulky, and which can effectively be used for both hunting and range archery.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an arrow rest that avoids the use of tubular members and the associated risk of contact between the tube and the arrow.
Another object of the invention is to provide an arrow rest that can be easily adjusted with a minimum of parts.
Another object is to provide an arrow rest with increased clearance for fletches.
A further object of the invention is to provide and arrow rest with silencers that dampen sounds made as an arrow is being drawn in a bow. These and other features and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.
This invention provides an archery rest for improving the safety and accuracy of an archery bow. More specifically, the present invention provides an arrow stabilizer and support apparatus coupled to the riser of an archery bow. The apparatus supports an arrow placed within it, stabilizes the flight of the arrow by correcting distortion following release of the arrow by the archer, and provides protection for the archer from potential injury from the arrow.
The arrow stabilizer and support apparatus includes a planar ring member coupled to the riser of the bow and adjustably positioned such that the plane of the ring is generally perpendicular to the axis of an arrow placed within the bow. Arrows may be easily inserted into the apparatus through either side of the central opening of the planar ring member. Pluralities of spring-loaded plungers, coplanar with the ring member, are provided for contacting an arrow placed within the ring member. In addition to providing support for the arrow, the spring-loaded plungers correct distortion during the shooting process and protect the archer from possible injury from the arrow. The spring-loaded plungers extend from the interior periphery of the ring along lines passing through the center of the ring member. Accordingly, the spring-loaded plungers maintain the shaft of the arrow generally at the center of the ring member and exert a force upon the arrow generally perpendicular to its shaft.
The plungers may be constructed as provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,633 to Sisko, discussed above, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. However, the actual construction of the spring-loaded plungers may differ from those disclosed by Sisko without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
A bracket member is provided to couple the ring member to the riser of an archery bow. The bracket member may be adjustably moved with respect to the riser of the bow along the direction of travel of an arrow. The ring member may be moved laterally with respect to the bracket member. The bracket member and ring member together allow the apparatus to be adjustably customized to the position desired by the archer.